


MEKA

by WishMaster



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Crushes, Drama, Fame, Family, Fans, Flirting, Friendship, Gwishin, Interviews, Jealousy, Korean Characters, Like Family - Freeform, MEKA, Mecha, Mechanics, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Popularity, Rivalry, Stardom, korea - Freeform, struggles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-07-02 10:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15794226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishMaster/pseuds/WishMaster
Summary: D.Va is the poster child, the star.D.Mon is the second best, the mystery.Casino is the playboy, the jokester.King is the introvert, the thinker.Overlord is the optimist, the little brother.Hana Song is a workaholic, never taking a break.Yuna Lee is a fireball, never able to escape Hana’s shadow.Jae-Eun Kwon is a maniac, never willing to take the easy route.Kyung-Soo Han is a nervous wreck, never able to shake his fears.Seung-Hwa Shi is a kid, never allowed to enjoy his childhood.The public knows them, or at least they think they do. But things go a lot deeper than that. The MEKA Squad is a family. But families fight and struggle and things don’t go smoothly. No one is ever exactly who they seem to be.





	1. Stars

“So as we wrap up, is there anything else you can tell me about the Meka upgrades?” The interviewer asked, smiling at the group.

“Well, most of the new upgrades are classified for protection of ourselves and the public,” Kyung-Soo said, “So we can’t really tell you anything on new upgrades.”

“Oh, I see.” Despite the logical explanation, the woman seemed a little disappointed.

“But if we told you then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Jae-Eun added, flashing a smile that made girls all across the country swoon.

“What you should know is that no matter what happens, we’re always trying to enhance our mechs to better protect Korea!” Hana exclaimed in a cheery voice.

The studio audience cheered and the interviewer smiled, “Well, it’s so lovely to here that Miss Song! And speaking of which, tune in just after the break for a live one on one interview of Hana Song, AKA D.Va!”

Hana smiled and waved at the audience and the cameras stopped rolling, crew coming up to rush Hana off to makeup and sound checks and moving the rest of the Meka pilots to remove their mics.

“Ah yes a one on one interview with Hana Song,” Yuna mocked, huffing as the crew finished removing the equipment, “Ace pilot! Shooting star! National hero! What’s next- Nation’s Little Sister?”

“I don’t mind missing another interview,” Kyung-Soo muttered, rubbing his cheek, “That mic adhesive hurts.”

“Well now we have to stand and do nothing until Hana’s time is up,” Yuna shot back.

“Why don’t we go to the break room?” Seung-Hwa suggested, “It’s just down there.”

Soon the four pilots were sitting in a small room with large windows along with a few other employees eating and sipping coffee, their eyes focused on the large TV in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, as an ad ended a familiar face popped up.

“Good Morning Busan, this is Eun-Cha Kim live with national hero Hana Song!”

The studio audience went wild, cheering as the scarlet waved to her fans.

“Marry me Hana!” Yelled one fan.

In the break room, Yuna rolled her eyes, looking away from the TV, “Oh fantastic now I get to watch the same interview again.”

“I can shut it off if you want,” Jae-Eun offered with a shrug, “I doubt this one’ll be any good.”

“Oh no you won’t,” exclaimed one employee indignantly, “I’ve missed the past 5 interviews because of work and I’m not missing this one too!”

Seung-Hwa looked at his friends and shrugged, “Well I’m going to get some snacks.”

The short boy hurried off to the snack bar on the side as the other pilots took their seats, silently resolving to watch the interview after all.

“This one’s even less exciting than I’d expected,” Yuna murmured as she munched on the chips that Seung-Hwa had grabbed, “Nothing like when they had that whole game with Hana trying to guess facts. That was hilarious.”

“You thought it was funny because Hana did terribly.” Kyung-Soo pointed out, “My favorite was the one where they were convinced that Hana and Jae-Eun were in a secret relationship and grilled her on it.”

“And then they grilled me on it all,” Jae-Eun cut in, “And of course it wasn’t true...”

“Casino is tied to no one, what a shock!” Yuna joked, mocking the upbeat voices of the interviewers.

“Of course not,” Jae-Eun said, leaning back as far as his chair stationary would allow, “That would break my fans hearts.”

“We are all very good friends, even family,” Hana was saying on the TV, smiling widely, “I’m glad to know I have such amazing people watching my back when we’re out there!”

“Oh we’re watching her back alright,” Yuna murmured, “That’s the only thing we have to look at given that she’s always up front.”

“Are you okay?” Seung-Hwa asked, looking over at Yuna.

“What?” She asked, staring at the younger boy.

“You seem...upset.” He replied, a concerned look on his face.

“He has a point,” Jae-Eun said, “You do seem more bitter than usual.”

“Well okay then thank you! Really making me feel good here!” Yuna retorted.

“I didn’t mean it like that. You’re always bothered by Hana but today it seems more than usual.”

“Well I don’t know, she was shrieking at her streams so loud yesterday night that I had to shut down my own private gaming because I couldn’t concentrate. Of course that was a waste because I could still hear her and her loud games all night long.”

“Even celebrities have terrible walls,” Jae-Eun said with a grin, “Maybe you could just start shrieking back at her. That would be fun.”

“Not for me.” Kyung-Soo said, “My room is next to her.”

“Well then you could shriek at me,” Yuna laughed.

“And then I’d shriek at him for keeping me awake,” Jae-Eun added, grinning.

“I’d just shriek to join in on the fun!” Seung-Hwa exclaimed, “I wouldn’t want to be out of the loop!”

The four of them burst into laughter.

“Well I guess at that point we’d probably end up getting to sleep because Hana would stop streaming,” Kyung-Soo suggested, “So I suppose it would work out.”

“Except she’d get mad at us and shriek at us starting the whole thing again,” Yuna admitted.

“And then no one would get any sleep!” Seung-hwa exclaimed.

“I’m sure I can find you some quality earplugs,” Jae-Eun said, “Maybe even ones with Hana’s little bunny symbol on them! I’m sure you’d appreciate that.”

“Ha ha,” Yuna retorted, “I think I’d rather hear screeching for half the night than wear her merchandise. It’s bad for my brand.” She flipped her hair jokingly causing the group’s conversation to devolve into laughter again.

“Well if she was streaming that late how is she even able to give an interview without sleeping?” Seung-Hwa asked.

“Nano-Cola of course,” Jae-Eun exclaimed, a crazed expression crossing his face, “So much sugar, it wakes you right up! No harmful side effects!” He started shaking his arm, miming taking a drink of Hana’s popular drink.

“You better not drink any of that stuff ever Jae-Eun,” Yuna laughed, “I think you’d explode from all that extra crazy.”

“You can never have too much crazy,” He replied, punching her arm lightly.

“I think parents of kids who drink Nano-Cola would disagree.”

“What about Nano-Cola?”

The group looked up to see Hana standing there with Li Kyung Son, their manager.

“Oh we were just talking about it,” Yuna said casually, “Oh, are you done already?”

Hana smiled, “Sure am! We can head out now.”

Soon the group was sitting in a van, their manager at the wheel as they moved slowly through the busy city traffic.

“Oh gosh,” Hana sighed, letting out a breath she’d been holding in, “I’m glad to be out of there.”

“Really?” Yuna asked, looking at the other girl skeptically, “You’re getting treated like a star, you’re sharing more with your fans. Shouldn’t you enjoy that?”

“It’s just exhausting sometimes. Everyone expects me to be positive and tell them it’ll be okay. They want me to be an icon, a hero.”

“Well you sorta are,” Seung-Hwa said, looking up from his holo-pad, “Everyone knows it.”

“I suppose,” Hana agreed reluctantly, “Although I suppose it would be nice to have a break from these interviews.”

“Well tomorrow should be a relief for you then,” Li Kyung said from the front seat, “It’s all clear for you five to work on tests and training. Although you do have filming for a Nano Cola commercial later this evening Hana.”

Hana sighed, “I should’ve known. At least there’s tomorrow.”

“Well I suppose if you’re that tired then you shouldn’t stream so late,” Yuna said casually before rolling over in her seat to sleep, a small smirk crossing her face. Jae-Eun coughed to cover up his laugh, while Kyung-Soo grinned slightly. It was a small jab, but it still felt good. And for Yuna, every tiny victory counted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this is my first Overwatch fic! I was inspired after watching Shooting Star and reading up a bit on the lore with the pilots and decided to write this! I hope you all enjoyed!


	2. Detours

Hana Song slumped onto her bed, exhausted from the long day of filming. As much as she liked her soda, it was easy to get tired of making ads for it, especially when she was dealing with reshoot after reshoot- often for things that weren’t even her fault. In truth, her cola would sell like crazy even without the ads, but the promotion just made her name bigger and of course, made more money- money that could go to MEKA for helping with upgrades and living costs and everything else. That was the thing that really kept her doing these advertisements. She knew the money was helping her friends and her program, which in turn helped the city and the whole country.

And yet, despite the good that came out of those ads, they made her feel alone, separate from the others. Her fellow pilots weren’t the poster kid like she was. They weren’t plastered over everything and the four of them had a bond that she didn’t truly feel a part of. Even among elite pilots, the top of the crop, she couldn’t be normal.

She would hear some of their remarks about her, normally said when they thought she wasn’t listening. She should’ve let them roll off but hearing the words from these people, her friends, her family in a way, hit her in a way nothing else could.

As Hana sighed, she heard a light knocking on her door. She instinctively jumped up, hurrying over and opening the door to find Dae-Hyun.

“Hi Hana,” He said, awkwardly shifting, “I hope I’m not bothering you, but Captain Myung said you’d just come back and would be up.”

“Sure it’s fine,” Hana said with a wide smile, glad to see a face that didn’t resent her celebrity status, “What happened?”

“Well I started working on some of those defense matrix upgrades. I just figured they’d be helpful after last time,” Dae-Hyun began as the two walked towards the mech bay, “I figured it might be important to make it a little more capable of absorption.”

Hana winced, “Yeah, last time Tokki ended up absorbing a lot of those missiles with her body.”

“Which was a ton of fun to repair,” Dae-Hyun added sarcastically.

“Aw come on,” Hana exclaimed, punching his arm playfully, “You didn’t enjoy jamming to Synaesthesia Auditiva with me?”

“By jamming I hope you mean that you were taking a break to jam in the middle of the mech bay as I looked on which probably slowed down our progress a lot.”

“You were just embarrassed. No one would’ve been watching you.”

“Well you were there. You could’ve been watching.”

“Actually my eyes were closed.”

“Well that explains a lot.”

“Besides, it was nice to spend time together,” Hana said, causing Dae-Hyun to grin, “You’ve always been a good friend.”

He nodded slightly, his smile fading a little, “Anyways, I’ve expanded the width of the Matrix, allowing it to cover more area and I added a few more layers to make sure any missiles are fully absorbed and destroyed so no additionally particles or explosives can come through.”

“Aw cool!” Hana exclaimed as they stepped into the bay.

Tokki the mech was sitting in a mechanic circle, various tools scattered around her.

Dae-Hyun hurried up to it, pushing aside alarge grey tarp to reveal two shining projectors for the Matrix.

“Well if my Defense Matrix works half as well as the projectors look I’d say it’ll be an improvement!” Hana said, grinning at it, “So, thank you.” Her smile faded away as she looked over at Dae-Hyun, “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you with the upgrades. I should’ve been in here with you, not making you do everything. It’s not right. This is my job too.”

“Hey it’s okay,” Dae-Hyun said, putting his arms on her shoulders, “You’re a celebrity, you’ve got a busy schedule. I know you can’t always be here. That’s what I’m for. But when you are here, you always work harder than anyone I know.”

Hana smiled appreciatively, “Well tomorrow I have no ‘celebrity business’ so I can test the new Matrix!”

“And if it doesn’t work you can help me fix it,” Dae-Hyun replied, “Tokki will be better than new.”

Hana patted the mech affectionately, tossing a joking grin at her friend, “Well she’d better be. Or else I’ll have to start telling my manager that I can’t go to those interviews because my friend will mess up my most prized possession.”

“I remember someone else messing up one of my most prized possessions,” Dae-Hyun retorted, “And by mess up I mean utterly destroy.”

“Come on, can you please stop bringing up that Hover Bike? When are you going to get over that?”

“When you stop teasing me.”

“So never?”

“That’s up to you.”

The two laughed for a moment before Hana yawned, rolling her shoulders and blinking, “Well, I should probably head to bed. I’m exhausted and there’s no time to stream anymore.”

“Sorry for keeping you up then, I didn’t even think about that.”

“No it’s okay. It’s nice to know I have those tests to look forward to tomorrow.” 

“Well, good night Hana.”

“Good night Dae-Hyun. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“I’m always here for you.”

“Thanks. You’re a true friend.”

 

~*~

 

The Meka pilots woke up at precisely 6 AM the next morning as a loud alarm sounded throughout the building.

Shortly after a quick attempt to get ready the five of them stood in a perfectly straight line in the middle of the mech bay as Captain Myung looked them all up and down.

“You’re young,” She yelled at the group, staring at the two pilots on the end in particular, “You should be able to move plenty fast enough not to show up dressed so indecently.”

Hana and Seung-Hwa stared down at their pajamas, embarrassed as Myung moved down the line, “Don’t you think there are more important things to be doing than fixing your hair Jae-Eun? Don’t you know it’s rude to eat when your captain is speaking Kyung-Soo? And Yuna, please stop tapping your foot, that drives me insane!”

The group had been expecting this kind of briefing. When there was trouble, their captain would be quick, telling them everything they needed to know as quickly as possible so they could get started immediately. She took their job of protecting Korea extremely seriously. When there wasn’t any trouble, she could take her sweet time critiquing them all.

“Anyways, seeing as today is a day without your little celebrity business and we’ve seen nothing to suggest an attack, it’s a training day. D.Va!”

“Yes Captain?”

“Defense Matrix tests today correct?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Casino, you’re running the Route again today, and no detours or I will set you on cleaning the parts shed for the next month.”

“No detours, got it.”

“Overlord, you’re going to work on those upgrades with the support bots. D.Mon and King, I want you two sparring. Now get your sorry selves to breakfast and I better see you all on your tasks when I come back in an hour or you’ll wish you’d never been born!”

The group bowed before standing back up at attention, “Yes Captain!”

 

~*~

 

Casino zipped around the marker, gazing down at the city below. Busan was alive and moving with cars already crowding the roads and people walking down the sidewalks to various stores. It was funny that for as often as he sped through this practice route, very few ever seemed to notice him from down below.

“No detours,” Captain Myung’s voice echoed into his head.

Sure, he didn’t really want to clean up the parts shed but where would be the fun in following the rules? There was nothing really at stake if he took a quick stop. He could avoid trouble if he was quick and that was the reason he’d been accepted into MEKA in the first place. He was nothing if not fast.

As soon as the next turn occurred, Casino shot down, spiraling into the city, before swerving and landing in an alleyway next to a little convenience store. He hurried inside, scanning the shelves until he spotted what he was looking for.

He hurriedly approached the checkout and although the cashier gave him a confused glance for a moment, the employee wasn’t too interested and let him go on his way.

Casino walked out the door nonchalantly, almost there and then he could race back before anyone noticed a thing.

“Do I know you?”

He turned to see a girl staring at him, a confused look on her face.

“Probably not,” He replied, nonchalantly, “I have a common face.”

“No, that’s not it, I-“

He was gone before she could say another word.

Casino hurried over to the alleyway, haphazardly sliding into his mech and taking off before anyone else could notice him. Even if they did report him to tabloids or anything, it was unlikely that Captain Myung would see it. “I see you all enough in real life, I don’t need those silly broadcasts about you in my life too,” She often said.

La Princesse Sereine soared back up into the sky, returning to the market before blasting forward around the loop. Casino technically wasn’t supposed to go over 145 kilometers per hour on the practice track, something about carelessness, but who was going to know? Besides he needed to speed up a little if his time was going to look believable.

When he landed back at headquarters, D.Mon and King were sparring as instructed.

“Well that seemed a few seconds faster than usual,” King remarked, a twinge of respect in his voice as it filled Casino’s earpiece, “What’s new?”

Casino shrugged and tossed a grin towards the two of them, “What can I say? I’m always fast.”

 

~*~

 

Yuna yawned as she neared her door, stretching out her arms. It had been a long day, but a productive one. She always enjoyed sparring with Kyung-Soo- he fought her head on, and never tried to go easy so both of them would get good practice. Sparring Hana was just adding onto the loads of pressure she already felt and Jae-Eun moved so fast that she might as well be trying to swat a speck of dust. Beast was many things but built for speed wasn’t one of them. And Seung-Hwa, he just wasn’t at the same level as her combat wise. She couldn’t go super hard on him because he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

As the door recognized her, Yuna walked into the room when she saw a small package outside her door. She walked over to it and picked it up, tearing through the packaging. She immediately burst out laughing.

Inside was a small bag of black and red earplugs with a note reading in elegant script, “ _To deal with the screech owls.”_

“No detours indeed,” She murmured to herself, a wide smile on her face as she headed back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s chapter 2! If you have any suggestions or commentary, please share. I hope you enjoyed! Also, for the record this occurs before Shooting Star and I intend at some point to get into that animation and fit it into the timeline.


	3. Dependent

Kyung-Soo tried not to be scared. He tried not to look fazed when trouble hit. Faking it was easy. But everywhere he looked seemed to show new complications, new mistakes to be made.

Maybe Yuna’s dislike for Hana would get in the way during a mission.

Maybe Jae-Eun’s recklessness would get him injured.

Maybe Seung-Hwa’s naivety would cause him to slip up.

Maybe Hana’s workaholic nature would cause her to shutdown when something went wrong for her.

Maybe his own fears were ruining everything. How ironic. He was afraid of his own fear.

Life had been so much simpler before the names of the MEKA pilots had been released to the public. He had been training with the others and they could walk around and no one would be too concerned. Sure they were recognized in public to an extent (“oh you’re that one gamer”) but they were mostly anonymous. And then, after some of their first couple defeats of the Gwishin, the public became increasingly curious about the identities of the pilots who were saving their city. There were all sorts of crazy theories and the five pilots frequently checked them and laughed at the inaccuracy.

And then one day they were just there. A list of their names, callsigns, mech names and a variety of other information was posted up on the official MEKA webpage and suddenly the entire country knew them. And everything was different.

Hana became a mega celebrity, the face of the program, an icon. Yuna became jealous of her old teammate again, their slightly troubled past on their old competitive team beginning to re-emerge. Jae-Eun became a national heartthrob, flirting with nearly every girl he met. Seung-Hwa was exposed to more fame and schedules and pressure then any kid should be. And Kyung-Soo became afraid. Cautious. Nervous. Wary. Their faces were known everywhere. Which was why he was wondering how Jae-Eun did it.

“Are you sure no one recognized you?”

“They might’ve. The cashier gave me a weird look and there was this girl who stopped me but if you act like you could be anyone no one really cares. They’re a little busy with their own stuff.”

“But you were in your suit? How didn’t they find that suspicious?”

“I had a jacket in La Princesse. I wore said jacket. Easy.”

Kyung-Soo stared at him, lost at how he could be so calm when he could’ve easily been spotted.

“Why did you even stop?”

“I just had to pick up something.“

“Which is?”

“Ask Yuna.”

“What?”

Jae-Eun laughed leaving Kyung-Soo quite confused.

“He bought me earplugs,” Yuna said, rolling her eyes as she walked over to them, “He just wants to be dramatic.”

“Are you saying you didn’t appreciate my charitable gift?”

“I never said that. It was thoughtful.”

“You see Kyung-Soo? That’s how you get girls. You buy them earplugs.”

Yuna rolled her eyes and Kyung-Soo snorted, “Somehow I doubt that’s how you do it.”

 

~*~

 

Seung-Hwa wasn’t exactly a fighter. He didn’t always aim his attention to damage and attacks. He was more of a strategist, a clever thinker. He used what he had to be stronger because on his own he wasn’t much.

And that’s why he was working on the little bots for the second day in a row. When their mechs were first being commissioned, the pilots had been given the opportunity to put in ideas. Seung-Hwa had wanted a mini army.

He was going to be Overlord.

His mech featured various drones that he could use to fight the Gwishin, configuring them into unique positions to try out different tactics and he was always trying to improve them.

“Need a hand?”

Seung-Hwa turned around to see Hana standing in the mech bay, a smile on her face.

“Uh, sure!”

He always appreciate a little more help with repairs and since his assigned mechanic had been sick for a couple days he’d been on his own.

Hana hurried over, looking at the bots and pieces on Seung-Hwa’s table.

“What are you working on?”

“I’m just trying to make them a little sturdier. They haven’t been the most durable lately.”

“Okay. Well one thing is you might want to try a different cover for the ‘camera’ part. It’s definitely an easy weakness to exploit so tying to use a better type of glass for when it’s open could help.”

“Yeah. I think I was going to work on that when Nayoung was back. She’s been feeling a little sick but she’s a lot better at glasswork then I am for these bots.”

“Alright. Well, you wanted to work on firing rate right?”

“Yes. I already have the programming for it done but I need better guns for the bots themselves.”

“I think there’s some of my old fusion cannons might be in the parts closet. And I mean old ones. They’re a lot smaller than what I have now.”

“And if we take apart the three rotating columns inside them I can use them each separately for the bots!”

“Exactly!”

The two of them grinned and rushed out of the bay, their legs flying as they sped towards the parts closet.

“So where exactly are the cannons?” Seung-Hwa asked as he opened the door.

“I think they’re towards the back,” Hana replied, “I’m not entirely sure. But I’m sure they won’t be to hard to find. They are bright pink.”

“Well they were. They’re probably pretty dusty by now!”

The two of them grinned as they scanned the various shelves until Hana spotted the faded pink outline of a cannon on a top shelf.

“Up there!”

“Oh awesome! Thanks Hana!”

“Of course!”

“Wait though, how do we get them down?”

“What do you mean?”

“Neither of us are tall.”

Hana looked up at the cannon, biting her lip and wincing, “I didn’t even think about that. Hey maybe I can lift you up and you can grab it, or throw it down.”

“I don’t think that’s safe. Besides it might weaken the structural integrity of the cannon.”

“Then lift me up.”

“That’s probably an even worse idea.”

“Well, maybe there’s a ladder around here. We could use that.”

“Okay. That should work.”

 

~*~

 

While the two younger pilots were in the parts closet because they were trying to find a safe way to pull down the cannon, Yuna was just looking for a couple extra screws that her mechanic had asked for.

“Hana this isn’t going to work!”

Yuna stood straight up, abandoning the large organizer she’d been searching through and followed the voice she’d just heard.

“What’s going on?” She asked, looking on as Hana tried to hold up Seung-Hwa as he unsteadily wobbled on her hands.

“Well we couldn’t find a ladder and we had to reach those cannons!” Hana explained.

Seung-Hwa hopped down and Hana gasped, falling backwards.

“That’s an awful idea,” Yuna said, “You should’ve just asked for help. Jae-Eun’s tall. Or I could lift one of you up or the both of you could lift me up and I’d grab it.”

Hana frowned, “We didn’t want to bother anyone else. We had to do it ourselves.”

Somehow Yuna didn’t believe that. Hana always wanted to be self sufficient, wanted to take care of everything herself, even though she needed help.

“Well I’m here now so I can help you.”

“Thanks Yuna!” Seung-Hwa said, smiling, “Hana and I could probably lift you and you could come down twice with each of the cannons.”

Yuna nodded and Hana and Seung-Hwa got on their knees to hoist her up.

“Sometimes it’s good to ask for help, isn’t it?” Yuna said pointedly, as she stepped up, grabbing the first cannon and safely stepping down to rest it on the ground, “Makes it easier.”

Hana seemed to ignore her comment as Yuna went back up for the other cannon and came down just as easily as the last time.

“Thanks again Yuna,” Seung-Hwa said, “This is great!”

Yuna smiled back at him, “Glad I could help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! Please comment any suggestions or comments, I really appreciate them! Thank you!


	4. Teammate

Yuna knew that Hana was lost on their disagreements or conflict or all of that. She just assumed that everyone would like her or that everyone could be friends. Her happy go lucky act wasn’t all persona. There was some truth to it. Despite how Hana’s own success had hurt Yuna’s, she expected that everything could work out or perhaps she just missed the situation entirely. Maybe that was it. As far as Yuna could see, Hana Song was oblivious.

 

~*~

 

_Yuna sighed as she looked at the tournament roster. Naturally, the big finale was Hana vs her notorious rival, Kyung-Soo or King as he was also known._

_Yuna was some opener act, trying to start strong, maybe, but it was clear that they wanted the crowd to stay because of Hana, because of that exciting match at the end._

_She shouldn’t be blaming Hana for all of this but at the same time, who else was supposed to explain why the public didn’t love her like they did with her teammate?_

_“Aegyo for days,” Yuna murmured sarcastically, staring at Hana’s excited expression on the poster._

_No matter what, she always looked peppy and energized on these posters, even though Hana was utterly focused in her competitions._

_At 17, she was easily one of the youngest gamers in the current scene and all that did was drum up more publicity for her. The two girls had been brought in at about the same time, but in Yuna’s mind, that just meant she was basically covered up. Her own fame seemed to pale in comparison to the girl that could’ve been her closest friend._

_Yuna didn’t need people to tell her that she was better than Hana. She’d prove it to them. She’d train twice as hard, she’d be there longer and she’d keep it all up until people finally realized that there was another girl who they could admire._

 

~*~

 

_“MEKA! Do you have any idea what this means? I’ll be out there, helping protect Korea!”_

_Mr. Lee smiled at his daughter as she held up the tablet screen triumphantly and grinned._

_“I’m proud of you Yuna. We all are. I know there’s no one else I’d rather have protecting me. Just make sure to take care of yourself, okay?”_

_“I always do. I’ll be safe for you.” Yuna replied, hugging her father tightly, “I love you.”_

 

~*~

 

_“So then we’re not all rivals anymore?” Yuna asked Kyung-Soo, who sat across from her._

_“Of course not. Besides, I’m pretty sure all that rival stuff between our teams was pretty much for publicity.”_

_Yuna smiled. When she’d seen him come in she’d been a little worried about lingering feelings of resentment but everything seemed like it would be fine._

_The boy sitting across from Yuna chuckled, “Figures you’d both have some connection. The gaming world isn’t that big after all, huh?”_

_“So I take it you’re not one?” Yuna asked, gazing over at him._

_“Nope. I’m, or was, a driver. Racing.”_

_“So then you think this’ll all come easily to you?” Kyung-Soo asked skeptically._

_The racer grinned, “Well naturally. I’m good at everything.”_

_“I guess we’ll just get to see then,” Yuna said, “When we’re actually out there.”_

_“Don’t worry you won’t be disappointed,” He replied._

_“So what are you doing here?” Kyung-Soo asked the smaller boy at the end of the table._

_“Well I’m-“_

_“Hello everyone!”_

_Yuna turned and froze in her chair, her mouth dropping open in shock._

_She’d hoped that she’d be able to break free of her past on the team, of her teammates, especially Hana Song._

_And how convenient, Hana was coming into MEKA too. Life’s irony sickened her._

 

~*~

 

_“Perhaps any of your neighbors could be one of the famous but mysterious pilots. Only time will tell.”_

_Jae-Eun burst into laughter as Kyung-Soo finished reading, “Seriously? Anyone? These people are desperate for some sort of news!”_

_“I mean, for all they know the mech pilots are a bunch of hamsters in suits,” Seung-Hwa suggested with a shrug._

_“That’s ridiculous.” Kyung-Soo replied, shaking his head, “I mean it’s pretty obvious that we’re people.”_

_“Well sure, we’re people,” Yuna said, “But what about the pilots? We have no clue!”_

_“Oh yeah, true.” Jae-Eun agreed, following along, “I mean they could be aliens or,” He made a face of fake shock, “Foreigners!”_

_“They could be anyone,” Hana noted, smiling, “I mean who’s to say that the old man next door isn’t piloting a hot pink mech? It’s believable right?”_

_“I’m sure the one in the green mech is very good looking,” Jae-Eun said, running a hand through his hair, “Perhaps enough so to rival me.”_

_Seung-Hwa laughed, “I mean we’ll probably be reading stuff like this forever! We’re national mysteries!”_

 

~*~

 

_Hana was sweating when she hurried into the mess hall, looking around at the others._

_“Uh, do any of you have a clue what’s happened? My stream chat has been blowing up with accusations about me being a part of MEKA! I mean there’s always a couple theorists but this seems obsessive!”_

_“You’re not the only one,” Kyung-Soo murmured, “It’s been happening to me too.”_

_“And me.” Yuna agreed, “I just can’t understand why so many people would try and ask us at the same time. I mean, maybe they’re just trying to expose us or something silly?”_

_“They don’t have to.” Jae-Eun answered, his face stony and without the confident grin that seemed permanently stuck, “MEKA told everyone themselves.”_

_He held up a screen and just like that their world came crashing down._

~*~

 

_“So we understand this whole reveal was a bit of a shock for you all but is everything alright now? I’m sure it seems odd to be here on an interview after all that anonymity.”_

_Hana didn’t even miss a beat, smiling up at the host, “Well, even though it was unexpected, we can trust MEKA’s decision and we’re all very excited to open up to the Korean public and hope that you all can place your trust in us!”_

 

~*~

 

_“Oh my- are you serious? That’s insane!”_

_The MEKA pilots sat in the mess hall as Hana talked on the phone, her eyes wide as her voice conveyed her shock._

_“Okay, thanks, I’ll tell everyone now.”_

_“What was that about?” Yuna asked skeptically as Hana put the screen down on the table._

_“Apparently all of us have loads of new offers for advertising and interviews and deals! It’s crazy! Anyways a MEKA publicity manager is going to come and meet with us soon. This is insane!”_

_Seung-Hwa stared at Hana, “Really?”_

_Hana grinned, “We’re practically stars!”_

_Jae-Eun smirked, leaning back in his chair, “Well of course we are. I told you all I’m good at everything. Being a public figure will just be another thing to add to the list.”_

_But despite the intrigue and eagerness her friends had, Yuna couldn’t help but feel a pit growing in her stomach. Press meant divisions, rankings. Busy schedules of celebrity events. Press always made her wonder if she was good enough. It happened with gaming and it would be the same thing here. She knew it._


	5. Momentum

Attacks never came when people were expecting them. That was the point. There was supposed to be no telling when something might go wrong. But they were always guessing. Omnics has a calendar and a plan according to their programming and normally they could pin out a few dates that were likely to have trouble.

Of course there were times when they were wrong.

“What’s on the radar exactly?”

“Looks like the Giant. They’ve fixed it up since last time,” Daehyun said as the MEKA squad rushed to get into their mechs, “I just can’t get a good visual!”

“D.Mon online!”

“Overlord online!”

“King online!”

“Casino online!”

“D.Va online! All clear?”

“You’re clear.”

The five mechs roared to life and within moments were blasting out into the sky, the golden sun just beginning to rise.

“My sentry bots have a visual,” Overlord said, “It looks like more artillery this time.”

“Then I’ll be shielding.” D.Mon replied, her eyes zeroing in on the hulking mech as they drew closer.”

“It’s weighed down,” Casino called out, “Ishould be able to easily outpace him, so if he puts that artillery on us, we might be able to outrun it if D.Mon’s shield is down.”

The five of them were less than a kilometer away when the gargantuan noticed them. A few of it’s missiles charged out but D.Mon quickly blocked them, the glowing green shield extending from her mech’s right arm just in time.

“Thanks for the save!” Overlord exclaimed, “The sentry bots are scouting for weaknesses.”

“Understood!” D.Va replied, “We need to start slowing it down though!” She soared upwards, tilting Tokki down to let loose a barrage from her fusion cannons onto the large mech below.

“There’s a chink in the back of the knee, left leg!” Overlord yelled.

“I’m on it,” King shot back, the upper part of his mech opening to reveal missiles.

As King positioned himself, the large mech tilted and began to fire at him.

D.Mon jolted up, maneuvering Beast and opening her shield to block out the fire.

“D.Mon I can’t get a clear shot with you standing there!”

“Well I’m the only thing blocking those plasma shots from destroying those missiles you’ve got,” D.Mon exclaimed through gritted teeth, “So you’re going to have to figure something out.”

D.Va groaned as she soared over the larger mech, her shots barely denting the hard armor of the mech, “Well you have to do something fast King because we’re not doing much.”

“If I can try to get it’s attention maybe I can give you a clear shot,” Casino suggested, his green mech sliding around the edge of the large Gwishin’s foot.

“Please don’t get shot out of the sky this time,” D.Mon muttered, “It was-“

“Hey I think we agreed never to speak of that. Just have a little trust in me. I’m lucky.”

La Princesse turned, rising up towards the head of the enormous mech.

“Be careful,” Overlord said as he pulled back, “The head has a lot of defense mechanisms!”

Casino nodded slightly, his eyes focusing in as La Princesse reached the front of the mech.

“Time to hope this flare works,” He murmured, flipping a switch.

Immediately, he could see bright green light jettisoning from the back of his mech,and the large omnic’s head was turning to it. The left arm lifted and Casino could see the shots beginning to charge up.

“Hey are you going to move at all?” D.Va asked, her eyes briefly settling on him, “I mean I thought your thing was speed, not being stationary.”

“Just give it a second,” He murmured, eyes trained on the guns on the Gwishin’s hand.

And then in the second that those shots began, La Princesse dropped down, barely missing the water.

The arm rotated, firing down as Casino twirled his mech, avoiding the fire raining down.

“Alright King, I’m sliding aside,” D.Mon shouted, “Take that shot!”

King nodded and as D.Mon moves Beast as quickly as she could, he zeroed in the target at the back of the Gwishin’s knee and pressed the button.

The pilots hurried to get back as the missiles collided, an enormous explosion sounding as smoke rose into the air near the knee joint of the giant mechanical monstrosity.

The large omnic moved to take a step but began to shake, leaning precariously to left side.

“It’s going to fall!” D.Mon shouted, “We need to make distance or we’ll get caught in the spray!”

“Understood!” Overlord exclaimed.

“Shouldn’t we wait a little to make sure it does actually collapse?” D.Va asked.

“Do you want to be around to find out?” King questioned, eyeing the teetering mech with concern.

“You guys need to start going now then,” Casino said, “If you leave too late then you can’t make it out.”

“If something happens we can just turn around.” D.Mon justified, turning on her blasters and beginning to move.

The others followed, and as they began to move, they didn’t need to turn around to hear the thundering crash as the omnic collapsed into the sea it had come from.

 

~*~

 

“You guys did great!” Dae-Hyun exclaimed, running up to Hana as the pilots climbed out, “By the looks of it, no serious problems on the mechs.”

“That remains to be seen,” Nayoung murmured, her hand grazing over a scratch on Mastermind as Seung-Hwa looked on.

“If the job was done correctly there should be no need for repairs,” Won-Sul stated stonily, locking eyes with Jae-Eun, both of them glaring slightly at each other.

“Sometimes things don’t go as planned,” The white haired pilot replied icily.

“The point is you all lived and you sunk that omnic back to the depths where it belongs,” Captain Myung said, looking at the pilots, “I’m proud of that. Of course, we’ll be reviewing performance later once there’s a check on scratches and the video performance log.”

The five mechanics nodded, turning back to the mechs behind them after they’d bowed to their commanding officer.

“While they’re doing the diagnostics tests, just go get something to eat. It’s early morning and you are low on energy after what’s happened.”

“Yes Captain.” They replied in unison before retreating to the mess hall for some well deserved rest.

 

~*~

 

“Remind me again why we still get no respect for this?” Won-Sul asked as he slid out from beneath the green mech.

“We’re just not figureheads,” Nayoung said with a shrug, “And it’s not like we get nothing. We have nice housing and plenty of benefits for the work we do to protect Korea.”

“What you jealous?” Asked Hong-Gi from atop the bright yellow he was working on.

“Not jealousy,” Won-Sul said, “Just saying. Despite our work, no one knows us. No one cares about the people who make sure these hunks of metal work properly. No one clamors for interviews with the mechanics.”

Dae-Hyun shrugged, “Even if it’s not jealousy, you have to admit it’d be nice to have that fame and fortune. People know your name, they care about you. You’re a hero.”

“We’re still heroes in our own way,” Cheol-Min said, “Heroes aren’t just the people up in the front lines. Perhaps our lives aren’t on the line but we are making sacrifices. And we should be proud of what we do, not angry over what we cannot.”

The group nodded slowly and Won-Sul sighed.

“Not jealousy,” He repeated, gazing sadly at the wrench in his hand, “I just... wish they took it more seriously. People have died in the past. People could still die if something goes wrong. It’s not a game. It never has been.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s a new chapter! I tried my hand at the action scene and I admit it wasn’t the greatest. I hope that as I write this I’ll be able to improve on these sorts of scenes! I also added in the rest of the mechanics, since we really have no information on them and I wanted to make it clear that Dae-Hyun isn’t the only mechanic.  
> Just so you know, here’s the list of them: 
> 
> Nayoung: Assigned to Seung-Hwa  
> Won-Sul: Assigned to Jae-Eun  
> Cheol-Min: Assigned fo Yuna  
> Hong-Gi: Assigned to Kyung-Soo
> 
> If you have any other questions on the mechanics or my ideas/headcanons on these characters feel free to ask! Have a great day!


	6. Bonds

Hana sat cross legged as she snacked on her chips, watching Kyung-Soo and Seung-Hwa play a game on the flatscreen. She was naturally waiting for her own turn.

When the pilots had first moved into their rooms in this hall, they’d all wanted to add some things to the outside room that connected them all.

Seeing as most of them were gamers, a large TV seemed like the best course of option.

Hana looked around. Kyung-Soo and Seung-Hwa had pulled their bean bags closer to the screen to get a better view while Jae-Eun, who never seemed to pay much attention to the actual gaming, was lying on the couch, his back to the screen and his feet propped up on the coffee table, scrolling half-heartedly through his phone. Yuna was up by the snack bar opening a container of noodles.

“Eat dust Kyung-Soo!” Seung-Hwa yelled, grinning, as his fingers flicked across the controller at lightning speeds.

Kyung-Soo didn’t reply, his eyes completely focused on the screen in front of him.

“I’m playing the winner!” Hana called out.

“I’ll play the winner of that match up.” Yuna added.

“Have the review videos come in yet?” Kyung-Soo asked as his character delivered the final blow to Seung-Hwa who gasped.

“Nope,” Jae-Eun replied, not bothering to look up, “It’s only been a couple hours though. Should be in any minute.”

Yuna stood up and sat down on the couch across from Jae-Eun, slurping at her noodles, “Good. I want to see this one.”

“Well none of our cameras will be showing sea water or black screens this time.” Kyung-Soo noted, “That’s a good sign. We didn’t suffer casualties.”

“We’re always improving,” Yuna agreed, smiling at her team, “And that’s paying off. We should be proud of that.”

“And speaking of improving,” Jae-Eun added, “The videos are in.”

 

~*~

 

Captain Myung, gazed absentmindedly at the videos in front of her, a small frown on her face The pilots had done well, she was proud of them of course, but looking at the seemingly endless feeds of footage, different angles and cameras, everything just felt like a routine.

Defeat the Gwishin. Save Korea. Speak at the press conference. Take CF deals. Train harder. Repeat.

She watched those five in this endless cycle, she’d been watching it for more than a year. And every time she looked at them she wondered if it’d be missing.

The hope that sparkled in Seung-Hwa’s eyes.

The drive that filled Yuna every time she had a new assignment.

The reckless bravery that radiated off of Jae-Eun.

The commitment and loyalty Hana showed to her team and her country.

The calculating rationalism Kyung-Soo used to get them all out of rough patches.

Perhaps they lived a more glamorous life than other soldiers but these five people, these children in her eyes were part of the Korean military. And she knew first hand how much being a warrior took out of you. 

She wanted them to succeed, of course, and she wanted them to be able to better serve their country. But she also wanted them to have a bit of a break. For them to enjoy their lives.

To just be kids.

 

~*~

 

“You did a good job with shielding.” Cheol-Min said as he gazed at the glittering green field, “Beast didn’t seem to take any damage.”

Yuna grinned, “I try to do my job right.”

Cheol-Min smiles back warmly, “Which tends to make my job easier.”

Yuna stopped and slid off of her mech.

“Do you ever wish you were out there?” She asked, giving him a sideways glance, “That you were the one fighting? The one protecting the country?”

“I’m still protecting them,” Cheol-Min said firmly after a long pause, “Perhaps I’m not doing it from the seat of an advanced mech but everything I do to help you is done to protect my home. To protect the people I care about. Besides,” He added, smiling again, “I’m too old to be in one of those ‘newfangled contraptions.’”

Yuna snorted, shaking her head, “You’re not that old. Definitely younger than my parents.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.” Yuna laughed, picking up a couple of the dropped bolts on the floor, “Also we have a conference tomorrow. Any words of advice?”

“You’ve been doing this awhile, you still want words from your Mechanic Mentor?”

“I have to make you work a little harder for that paycheck, especially if the mechanic part is easy.”

Cheol-Min shook his head and shrugged, “Just relax. Don’t worry about Hana or the others. You always do well.”

“Thanks,” Yuna said, bowing to him as she turned to exit the mech bay, “I appreciate it.”

 

~*~

 

“You going to actually help or just sit there?”

Jae-Eun shrugged, sipping his tea as he sat leaned up against the wall of the mech bay, “I don’t know. I’m enjoying my drink.”

Won-Sul glared at him from across La Princesse, “If I had the spare time I’d walk over there and smack that out of your hands. But some of us don’t have free celebrity relaxation hours.”

“You wouldn’t be able to do that anyways,” Jae-Eun retorted, “I’m a lot quicker than that. You’d never have a chance at even touch this tea.”

“Can you at least hold this up? I need both of my hands if I’m going to rewire this.”

“Fine.” Jae-Eun stood up and walked over to Won-Sul, reaching down to the cords he needed to hold up.

“Thanks.”

“I’d ask what’s got you angry this morning but I think we all know the answer to that.”

Won-Sul nodded slightly, his fingers pulling slightly at the wires until he found the one he’d been looking for.

“What exactly are you doing to my mech anyways?” Jae-Eun asked, looking down at the compartment, “Not rigging a death trap for me I’d hope.”

“I hate you but I’d never stoop that low.”

“Thanks. I like my life so that means a lot.”

The mechanic rolled his eyes, biting back an insult as he toyed with the wiring.

“For the record I’m just trying to quicken the time between pressing the right trigger and actually firing. It might seem minuscule but while reviewing the footage I’ve noticed that the right gun is significantly slower than the left. If I can fix this then it might end up saving the life you like so much.”

Jae-Eun shrugged, “Can’t get mad at you for making things faster.”

“Okay, you can move your hand now.”

“Done?”

“No. I just don’t need you to do this anymore. Go ask Nayoung for a gilded compress.”

“A what now?”

“She’ll know what it means. Just go.”

Jae-Eun walked over to Nayoung and Seung-Hwa next to the blue mech, Mastermind. Nayoung had a welding mask on as she fused a piece of glass to the front of one of the little bots that the blue mech controlled.

“Hi Jae-Eun,” Seung-Hwa exclaimed as soon as he spotted the white haired pilot, “Nayoung’s upgrading a bot! Did you come to watch?”

“Won-Sol wanted me to get something from Nayoung. Some, gilded compress or something.”

Nayoung switched off the tool she was using, and pulled off her mask, “A gilded compress? We haven’t used that phrase in forever!”

“What now?”

Nayoung waved her hand dismissively as she opened a drawer and rummaged through it, “Just an old mechanics joke. Don’t worry about it. Oh there it is.”

She pulled out an odd shaped object with a gold tip and tossed it to Jae-Eun who grabbed it quickly.

“Thanks.”

“Sure.”

Jae-Eun passed the piece from hand to hand casually as he walked back to his own mech.

“Hey be careful with that!” Won-Sul exclaimed hurriedly, “Those are expensive!”

“I’m not going to drop it,” Jae-Eun replied, tossing it up and catching it below his waist, “You need to quit freaking out.”

“And you need to respect the stuff we have.” Won-Sul retorted, “Instead of acting so entitled.”

“I’m very respectful,” Jae-Eun replied, “I just don’t walk around with a stick up my butt all the time and actually try to enjoy myself instead of acting like my life is the worst in the world when it’s not. I have a job and I’m doing it. But it doesn’t need to control every part of me.”

Won-Sul glared at him, “It should. Your job is keeping our nation safe. You shouldn’t be acting all free and jokey. Because people’s lives are in your hands. I hope your reflexes are fast enough to catch them.”

Jae-Eun’s gaze turned stony as he placed the object atop of his mech, “I do care about them. I’m not doing this because I’m obsessed with myself. If I was I’d still be racing,” He walked over to the gate that lead out of the mech bay, “I’m here because I want these people to have good lives. But that shouldn’t mean that I can’t have that too.” He tossed a pointed glance at Won-Sul then turned and walked away, leaving the entire room in stunned silence.

 

~*~

 

Yuna slumped against a plush chair in the pilots’ quarters, groaning loudly. Her arms felt like jelly after all the things she’d been holding for Cheol-Min while he’d been trying to upgrade Beast. She was glad to be able to help but now she felt like her arms would fall off if she tried to move.

“You up for a game?” Kyung-Soo asked as he walked into the room, “One on one?”

Yuna sighed, “I’d love to but I’m a little tired right now. Maybe in a bit.”

He nodded, “Got it. Just tell me when you’re on. I’m going to start up a stream.”

“Have fun,” Yuna replied, smiling, “I’ll be on soon.”

As she rolled her neck, Yuna’s eyes landed on the green door next to her chair.

Yuna had known Jae-Eun for at least a year now, and in all that time, she’d never seen him get that angry. He was always calm and snarky when people tried to raffle him. Something had really bothered him.

And he was her teammate, her friend. She should be trying to help if for nothing more than trying to make sure the team could function well.

Yuna stood up and walked over, knocking lightly on the door before leaning against the wall to wait.

“It’s Yuna,” She said to the door, “I came to see if you were okay.”

The door slid open and Yuna straightened, looking in. Jae-Eun stood on the other side, returning her gaze, his mouth set in a hard line.

“I’m fine.” He replied icily, “Just enjoying this room that I deserve because I’m just that entitled.”

“I’m sure that’s not exactly what he meant.”

“Won-Sul is nothing if not direct.” Jae-Eun sighed, his face starting to crumple, “And brutally honest. Do you think I’m self absorbed? Too much?”

Yuna looked down thoughtfully, “I wouldn’t say self absorbed. You joke a lot and I can’t say you never brag, but you deliver on your promises. You live up to what you say, except for when it’s an obvious joke.”

He nodded a little, “Thanks. I just...need to think about this. Alone.”

“I understand.”

Yuna stepped back as the door closed and exhaled. She could understand self doubt. Questioning whether or not you were doing the right thing. Wondering if people saw you the way you thought they did. It was hard. But she knew Jae-Eun. He’d get over it, faster than she did at least.

He was known for his rebounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s the newest chapter! I tried to expand a little more on the mechanics and their relationships with the pilots and each other although I definitely intend to do more as time arises! Anyways, that’s all! Have a great day!


	7. Rebound

_There’s an ache in his foot as he presses the pedal, hard._

_He’s hugging the side of the track, so close he could reach out and touch the markers if he wanted to._

_If he had a death wish._

_There was a fine line between speeding down at the edge and hitting it and crashing. It was risky, but if he went any farther over he’d get left in the dust._

_He’s just a rookie. He shouldn’t have hope._

_Except he can see the finish line, the blinking golden lights that illuminate the path to fame and fortune._

_He can hear the roaring of the crowd as he nears it, neck and neck with the others._

_He has a chance._

_He slams his foot down harder, feeling the hover speed up, ready to cross that line and enter into the life he’s dreamed of since he was a kid._

_And then it hits him._

_Stars flash before his eyes as he hears the tell tale scrape of metal. His hands jolt the wheel but it’s too late._

_He doesn’t remember much after that._

_He hears the crash, and then there’s numbing pain running through his body. He can’t breathe._

_There’s a ringing in his ears and the shouts of people._

_When they pull him out, when they put him on that stretcher, he barely feels the pain. It’s disconnected. All he knows is that he failed._

_There’s no bright lights, no cheers. And his dreams are gone, burnt in the steaming wreckage left behind, dissipating in the air like smoke._

 

_~*~_

 

_“Are you sure you want to do this?”_

_“What?”_

_“Last time...you broke. You crashed. You remember. Everyone remembers.”_

_“I’m fine. I’ve done a lot since then. I can do it,” Jae-Eun’s hands grip the arm rest tightly, his knuckles white, “I’m not scared anymore.”_

_He’s terrified. He’s had nightmares about this. But it’s the only way. This track has plagued his mind forever. It’s a phantom, following him around._

_Every race, he sees it in their eyes when they talk to him._

_‘He’s the one who crashed,’ their eyes say, ‘the one who decided to come back. He couldn’t move on.’_

_And no matter how many things he wins, he knows he’ll never be able to live with himself unless he finishes this. Unless he wins this._

_“I’m serious.”_

_Jae-Eun turns to look at Hyun-Tae who is gazing at the road, a firm expression on his face._

_“So am I.”_

_“You don’t have to do this if you’re afraid. I don’t want you to get hurt again. There’s other races.”_

_“I know. I have to do this one.”_

_“No you don’t. Listen kid, you have a good career ahead of you. Just wait on this. There’s other tracks. There’s other chances.”_

_“No. You don’t understand. I have to do this one. If I don’t...I couldn’t live with myself. I didn’t die in that accident. I recovered, fully. I was lucky. I have to pay the price now. I have to win it.”_

_Hyun-Tae sighs, shaking his head, “This is a bad idea. But I can’t change your mind. Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”_

_“Sorry,” Jae-Eun said, grinning as he loosened his grip on the rest, “I’m not going to make any promises I can’t keep.”_

 

_~*~_

 

_His hands are on the wheel again. It’s all familiar. In minutes he’ll be racing this track again. He wins or he doesn’t. This is it._

_“Try not to crash this time newbie,” Says the driver next to him, “It’s hard to recover from one crash but two on the same track? You’d be better off last.”_

_“Thanks,” Jae-Eun replies, “But I don’t exactly plan on being last or crashed.”_

_The driver shrugs, pulling on his helmet._

_Jae-Eun stares ahead, trying to remember everything he knows about this track. He can’t make any mistakes._

_“Are our racers ready?”_

_The racers flash the lights on their hovers at the announcer and the crowd cheers raucously._

_“Alright then! Welcome everyone, to this year’s annual Jug-eum Run! This track is known for the raw power required because despite the short track, some racers burn out. Let’s hope for some good fortune for today’s racers! Now...Set, Dul, Hana- Gagi!”_

_Jae-Eun pushes the pedal down as soon as the word was out, streaking down the track next to the others._

_His eyes are glued to the road ahead of him as he tries to turn the loops as tightly as possible._

_Its exhilarating and it’s terrifying but it’s the most fun he’s had in his entire life. He’s on the edge, teetering between glory and destruction. It’s a great place to be._

_As he takes each curve, every new stretch of track, he can feel a grin creeping onto his face. This is where he belongs. And he’s going to prove it._

_His eyes flick to the rearview mirror and he can see the others behind him, some falling behind as the front runners pick up the pace._

_They’re almost to the end. He can see the line again, taste victory. This is where he crashed last time. Where everything fell apart. Not this time._

_He glances at the right, he’s just behind first place, he has to get faster, tighten the track. If he gets closer to the side, he’s going to smash into it. But if he doesn’t he’s never going to win this._

_“Don’t do anything stupid,” Hyun-Tae’s voice echoes in his head, “It’s not worth it.”_

_But Jae-Eun didn’t promise._

_He tilts the wheel slightly, nearing the edge and smashes down on the pedal._

_He tears down the track and then it’s done._

_One by one the other hovers cross and come to a halt but he barely notices as he unbuckles himself and steps out smiling wider than he ever has, as the crowds cheer his name._

_This is what he’s been waiting for._

_The race runners bring the trophy to him and his face is on the big screens and it’s all like a dream._

_“That was some risky maneuvering at the ending,” Says a reporter, “You could’ve paid a high price for that.”_

_Jae-Eun chuckles, tossing a grin at the camera in front of him, “The best things in life aren’t free.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another flashback scene! I really enjoy writing these sorts of things so I’ll definitely try and include more sections where we delve a little more into the past of the pilots and the mechanics! Hope you enjoyed!


	8. Press

There’s a pattern. Every time.

They stop the Gwishin.

They go back and fix the mechs.

They do a press conference the very next day.

Seung-Hwa isn’t really nervous, he’s done this all a thousand times and the cameras are never super focused on him.

They ask about the fight and what happened, even though their MEKA footage tends to be released more often than not. Then they ask some questions about their lives or new ads or whatever else.

He likes being there, though, as odd as it may seem. It’s nice to remember that there are real people who are being affected by what they’re doing. Who appreciate everything they attempt to keep them safe.

“You all ready?” Li Kyung asked from the drivers seat, “This one’s a little smaller than usual.”

“Cause no one crashed,” Jae-Eun said, “A struggle story is always more interesting.”

Li Kyung sighed, rolling her eyes, “Well I don’t want any of you to be crashing for publicity sake.”

“We wouldn’t,” Yuna agreed, “Myung would kill us.”

“Besides, even if the press doesn’t find a crash free story interesting, it saves money for upgrades and makes sure we’re completely prepared if there’s another attack soon.” Kyung-Soo said, “We’re soldiers first, then celebrities.”

Li Kyung nodded and pulled out the keys as the hover came to a stop.

The five pilots hurried out, beginning the walk towards the assembly building.

 

~*~

 

“So would you say this was a relatively simple attack?” Asked one reporter, “I mean, it didn’t seem that difficult while watching the replays.”

Jae-Eun and Kyung-Soo locked eyes for a moment and grinned slightly.

“It wasn’t too difficult,” Hana admitted, “It was definitely easier to take out this enormous robot than the first time.”

A few chuckles emerged from the crowd.

“We still had to make a couple important decisions,” Yuna said, “We were a little concerned at the end that the omnic would actually fall, but it did end up working out.”

“Do you think that the enormous omnic will be back?”

“Considering we’ve already faced it in the past, and it just returned yesterday, I’d say it’s likely,” Kyung-Soo admitted, “They’re evolving omnics, consistently trying to improve themselves so they can destroy us. They’ll upgrade that enormous monstrosity and it’ll be back one of these days.”

“I see.” The man nodded slightly before stepping back to let a woman come forward for a question.

“Watching the replays, I was curious about a couple things,” She began, “It seemed like D.Mon and Overlord didn’t seem to do much in the grand scheme of it all. Just the scouting and blocking. If that’s the case then why is it necessary to have a five person team on every single mission? I’m sure smaller groups would be more cost effective, and considering how much money the government puts into the MEKA program, that money could easily be rerouted to some other offices.”

Yuna’s face went stony and Seung-Hwa’s gaze dropped to his lap, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

“Are you trying to say that you’d rather we just stay behind?” Yuna asked icily, “Maybe then the Gwishin would get some actual shots on the rest of the team and you’d get those crashes you all want for your headlines!”

Kyung-Soo flinched, his eyes flicking to Yuna, a concerned gaze on his face.

“What Yuna is trying to say,” Jae-Eun cut in, elbowing her slightly under the table, “Is that the entirety of the MEKA group was picked for their unique strengths and all of us have significant contributions that keep this country safe. We are all proud of what we do, even if it’s in the small things.”

“What are you all doing next?” Called one person.

“Training.” Kyung-Soo said, “That’s most of our lives believe it or not.”

“But you can always check in with us on our live-streams,” Hana exclaimed, smiling, and giving a signature wink, “And we’re going to be on The Spiral in a couple days so make sure to tune into that!”

Kyung-Soo glanced at the rest of the group nervously then looked back to the crowd, “I believe that’s all our time. Thank you.”

The filming cameras turned off and the people began to disperse.

Yuna shot up, slamming her chair into the table.

“Well that went great.” She hissed, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she scuffed at the tile with her shoe.

“That lady was out of line,” Kyung-Soo said, “Don’t let it get to you.”

“Did you really mean that?” Seung-Hwa asked Jae-Eun, “That all of us are important? I guess...it doesn’t always feel like that.”

“That? ‘Course. You all got picked for a reason,” His serious gaze turned jokey, a self confident smirk crossing his face, “I guess MEKA figured my charm and good looks couldn’t fill every role they needed.”

Yuna rolled her eyes before laughing dryly, “Truly hilarious.”

“I’m just saying you don’t need to take a little comment that hard,” Jae-Eun said, resting his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture,“Just relax.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Yuna spat back, pushing his arm away, “One insulting word from your mechanic and you’re storming out and locking yourself in your room. Maybe you should relax.”

“I’m trying to help you,” Jae-Eun muttered, “Although I guess you don’t want that. You just want to pity yourself and for other people to feel sorry for you but you don’t actually try to fix things! You get angry and butt hurt over little issues and it just makes you look bad. Maybe people would like you more if you stopped acting so pathetic.”

A sharp silence filled the room and the five pilots looked away, shifting uncomfortably away from each other.

“We need to go.” Li Kyung said, walking up to them, “And you two,” She stared with pointedly at Yuna and Jae-Eun, “Seriously need to cool off.”

“Fine.” Yuna muttered, scuffing her shoes across the platform, “Let’s go.”

 

~*~

 

The entire car was tense as they made their way back to the MEKA facility.

When Hana looked over at the backseat, she could see Yuna sulking in the corner, her eyes trained on the window as her hands flexed in and out of tight fists.

Kyung-Soo turned to her and opened his mouth to say something before he decided not to, turning back to his book.

“So, what are we doing when we get back?” Seung-Hwa asked, looking forward towards the middle row from the backseat.

“Training. Probably.” Kyung-Soo replied from his right, “Right?”

“I’m just your publicity manager,” Li Kyung said, her eyes not leaving the road, “You’ll have to ask Myung about that. However, in the vein of publicity, I’d like to remind you that we’re trying to create a positive image around the program and pilots. There are still people who question the funding put into the program and other decisions made by the government and MEKA so we have to provide strong, positive representation. Some of us should remember that having anger issues during filming is not a good way to do so.”

Yuna’s glare hardened, “They publicly insulted me and my teammate on a live press conference.”

“And you publicly retaliated, and it was sort of aggressive. You just have to be careful what you say and where you say it. I’ve told you before- blow up in private if you must.”

“I don’t know what I did wrong,” Jae-Eun muttered, crossing his arms, “I tried to cover it up.”

“You still argues post press conference. Did either of you consider that there were people still there who could’ve easily recorded the incident? You just have to remember, all of you, that you have to uphold a sort of conduct in public. You’re the protectors and if people worry that you can’t the job done, they won’t trust you and they’ll live in fear. It’s a lot of responsibility but you were picked for a reason. MEKA knows you can protect them and you can make them feel safe. I’m just here to help you along a little.”

“You’re right.” Kyung-Soo murmured, “We’ll be better next time.”

The others nodded in agreement and a silent peace began to settle over the hover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I’m back! I’m so sorry for being inactive and not posting- I just finished my play this weekend and I was having rehearsals nearly every day on top of school work and other things like NaNoWriMo this month and writing contests at my school I was working on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I’m going to try and post more regularly now! Have an awesome day!


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